Just like when we recently supplied you with the random fact that Mount Smith is the highest spot in Bexar County, learning the exact opposite point on Earth in San Antonio doesn’t do us a whole lot of good. But, it could win you points at your next trivia night!
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So, here’s the scoop. There’s an official name for the point that is diametrically opposite of you on Earth. It’s called an antipode. And this webpage will guide you in finding that location. When it comes to San Antonio (drum roll please 🥁🥁🥁), that point is smack dab in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Not China, as we were told as children. In fact, as far as I can tell, the nearest landmass is the small, uninhabited island (sans a few scientists) of Ile Amsterdam. It’s a French overseas territory and is used for research. Considering more than 70% of the Earth is covered by oceans, it’s not surprising that we’d end up in water somewhere.
If you think about it, that means that if you were to truly take a ‘trip around the world,’ you’d have to pass through a set of antipodal points. Even more mind-blowing, there is currently no way to do that in a fell swoop. That’s because there are no commercial airlines capable of traveling that far, non-stop, with a full plane of passengers. Apparently, Singapore Airlines holds the record for the longest scheduled commercial flight, which flies from Singapore to New York’s JFK. That covers about 90% of an antipodal distance.
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